Kazuharu: The Last Night
by SeverableTies
Summary: Destruction changes many things. What happens when a new ninja comes to the Leaf? Missions change, power shifts, and nothing will be the same. An OC in an AU. Rated M for violence and such. Possible romance eventually.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Naruto and company are not mine. The only things that are mine are the things you have not seen in Canon. (i.e. Kazuharu, his jutsu, etc) All other things belong to their respective creators.**

**Chapter 1: Enter, Ninja of the Night**

**Yakangakure: The Village Hidden in the Night**

Kazuharu, that is his name. He was found mere days ago sitting in the middle of the village in a basket. This was not something that happened often, even in the village famous for breeding cold-blooded assassins. There was a note, but it said only two things. The first, a name. Kazuharu. The next, a demand. Train the boy to be a Shadow Assassin, we of the Living Shadow Clan demand it.

It was unheard of. The Living Shadow Clan hadn't been seen or heard from in several years. Plus, why did they want him trained as a Shadow Assassin? The clan usually trained their own in a different art. A more deadly art… They had no choice though. They gave the boy to a ninja family who would train him in a few years. It would be hard to hide though. Those bright yellow eyes and shadowy features…

He was given to the family of Mitsu and Fu. They were unable to have a child of their own because Fu seemed unable to carry one to term. They longed for a child though, and the Elders' knew, if given a chance, they would raise Kazuharu as their own. At least, they hoped so. Their lives could depend on it. It would have to wait until morning though, for now, he would stay in the elder mansion…

They were a small village. They had enemies, of course, because of their mercenary ways. They sold assassins to the country with the most to offer them. This was how they made a living. It wasn't too different from what other countries did, but they were persecuted for it. Well known to them, their enemies were getting closer. They knew it would be years though before they were found though…

The next morning brought both fear and joy. Joy to Mitsu and Fu for finally being able to raise a child, but fear to the rest of the village should they fail to raise him well. It would be a few years before they could start his training though, so they had time to prepare for it. They began outlining plans immediately, wanting to show the village that they were taking their 'assignment' seriously. They refused to think of it as a job, in private at least, and treated him well.

Life in the village was continuing on as normal. Assassins left, most came back, few failed, and those that died were replaced in time. Students learned what they needed to at the academy. Though, because of the way they functioned, no students left the village until they became full assassins. As such, they did not go to the Leaf Village for Chunin exams, nor did they do any other type of outside exam. It was usually good enough. Slackers died. That was life.

_**Five years later**_

_**The start of training**_

(A/N: Sorry about the time-skip, but obviously the story has to continue on in some way. Besides, you don't really want to know about baby Kazuharu, right?)

It's amazing how time passes. How quickly a child can grow. How doing nothing becomes crawling, and crawling becomes walking. This was one of those cases where time seemed to pass too quickly. Kazu (one of his nicknames) grew up to be a normal five year old boy. If growing up in the presence of ninja assassins is normal… He was about to start his training to see what he was able to do. People were a little afraid to see what he was capable of. His yellow eyes were as bright as ever, like a cat's in the darkness. He had the night vision capabilities of them as well. It would be a skill to help him out in the future.

Mitsu began to teach him basic ninja tool training first. It wasn't the most important thing, but it was a starting point. Mitsu showed him how to hold the shuriken, then threw some at the target dummy, a few missed. Tools were not Mitsu's strong point.

"Father, you missed some!" Kazu cried out in shock. He had grown up thinking his father to be a perfect ninja.

Mitsu laughed, "Yeah, tools are not my specialty. I prefer my ninjutsu. For now though, let's see you try a few."

Kazuharu was a little nervous about it. If his father had trouble with it…

"Well, here goes nothing…" He sighed and threw the shuriken towards the target dummy, and they struck several vital areas. A few of them were off target, but for a first try it was amazing. Almost unheard of.

"Oh wow…" Mitsu said in awe, "That was great son… How did you do that?" He looked at the dummy again, then shook his head. Even the shuriken in non-vital areas would have caused some amount of harm.

"I dunno dad. I just directed them as best I could and let them go. Was it good?" Kazuharu was very happy with the fact that he had gotten all of them to hit the dummy. He had no idea that they'd hit specific areas. He thought his dad was just impressed that they hit.

"Very good, here, try it again. One more time." Mitsu said as he handed all of the shuriken back to Kazu and stepped aside. If the results were duplicated or better, well, he'd have to see… Kazu stepped up, and let the shuriken fly. Some of them hit the same vital spots, others seemed to be aimed for crippling blows. Unbeknownst to Kazu, he had inherited a killer instinct from his clan. He knew subconsciously just where to hit, and did it without meaning to.

Mitsu was aghast. He had to tell someone about it! 'No,' He thought to himself suddenly, 'A secret for now. See how his other skills are…' To his son though, he said, "Amazing Kazu. I am very proud of you my son. I think that's enough tool training for now. We'll do other stuff later. For now, how about some ninjutsu?" Kazu was overjoyed. He loved to learn how to make hand-signs and see the resulting effects. It was probably his favorite ninja aspect…

"Alright son, you will learn more when you visit the academy in a few years, but until then, how about I start teaching you our family's secret jutsu? It is one that was developed for the sole purpose of target evasion and special combat. It has to be used carefully in combat though." Mitsu explained, then showed Kazu the hand-signs for the technique. It was semi-complicated and had to be shown several times.

"Alright, now that I know the signs, what does it do? How will I know when to use it?" Kazu asked. He was getting ready to start when those questions came to mind. He figured it was better to ask than to foolishly fail before he had begun.

"Great questions son!" Mitsu patted Kazu on the shoulder, "I'm impressed you thought to ask. Now, the technique is called **Shadow's Deception**. It can be done in any shadowy area and is used to pop in and out of any shadows in range for attacking or distracting. Obviously you could also just hang out in the shadows to hide." He then quickly performed the signs and melted into the nearest shadow. He popped in and out of a bunch of them to show Kazuharu the effects.

"I get it…" Kazu said a minute later, "It makes sense how this can be used in so many different ways. What is it's range though? It seems like such a technique would either be really taxing, or slightly limited." He looked at his father, who looked rather surprised that his son had known such questions to ask.

"You really are intelligent my son." Mitsu smiled, "It is not especially taxing, though it requires you to control the chakra throughout your body to continue in the shadows. It has a range of about twenty meters though. With that said, it's obviously not a skill to be used lightly." Mitsu had released the jutsu while he was talking and was now looking at Kazu expectantly.

"Here goes!" Kazu called out as he began flooding his body with chakra and performing the hand-signs. Moments later he melted perfectly into the shadows and was able to move through them in almost perfect form. Mitsu was astonished that it was done so well on the first try. 'He is a prodigy, though, I guess with him being from _that _clan it is to be expected.'

Kazu snuck up behind a distracted Mitsu and knocked him over. "Daddy needs to pay attention!" Kazu said in a sing-song voice and laughed. Mitsu laughed as well. "You're right son, I should have been watching. What say we move on to Genjutsu? I'm curious to see how you do at that." Kazuharu looked a little put out at that. He just wasn't excited about the mind arts in the way he was about everything else.

"Alright Kazu, I'm going to use genjutsu on you. Do you remember how to break it? I know I told you this before." Mitsu got into position and was preparing to use a genjutsu. "Uh, yeah. You just have to first understand that it is a genjutsu, then match or overpower the chakra, and 'release' it." Kazu hadn't really paid attention to anything genjutsu related. His father contemplated for a second then shrugged. May as well go with it.

Kazu suddenly found himself being surrounded by flowers in a field. He thought it looked rather amazing. The sky was bright though, and he wasn't sure why that was (he'd never seen the sun, as the Night Village is just that, Night all the time). He wandered around for what felt like hours, then the sky changed colors. It was a bright blood red, casting an ominous glow over the field. He looked down at the flowers and found that they weren't flowers. They were the limbs of dead bodies entangling his legs. He found the faces of those he knew, gasped, and started running away.

"Release!" He cried out without stopping, "Release, release!" He became more frantic and ran faster. The farther he ran though, the more bodies he seemed to encounter, until finally he tripped through the tangled limbs and was face to face with his decomposing mother. He screamed loudly, and woke up.

His body was shaking from the traumatic experience. He threw up to the side of him and fell to his knees. He crossed his arms in front of his body, trying to make the memories go away. His father was there next to him, put his arm on Kazu's shoulders, and was silent. Mitsu didn't know what to say. How could he? Kazuharu was great at every other discipline, so he hadn't really held back. Apparently, Kazu wasn't cut out for genjutsu though.

Kazu spent that night in his room crying. He didn't know how to deal with what he was feeling. He had thought about death a lot, and knew that it was inevitable, but from a five year old perspective it didn't seem as real to him. He had never thought about what he would do if someone close to him had died. For the next few days he was mostly silent,

and kept to himself…

They continued to train, avoiding genjutsu almost entirely. Kazu did well at his other skills. He trained alone when he couldn't find his father, and seemed to improve at a steady rate. It was like his skills were sensing his abysmal genjutsu and compensating in every other area. His tool training was great, he learned basic jutsu well enough, and his taijutsu was acceptable for that of a five year old.

Most nights, he still lay there in sadness, thinking about genjutsu and his experience with it. He cared about the fact that he couldn't do anything about it. He worried away at the problem until it sickened him. He didn't know if he would ever be a useful part of the assassins. Genjutsu was a great tool in an assassins arsenal. It allowed killing in a 'pleasant' environment. The target wouldn't realize they were dead until it was too late, nearby people would be under for a while and not notice anything strange, or give them a killer one in their sleep.

One morning, after a particularly rough evening for Kazu, his father approached him.

"Kazu, I know you've been feeling terrible lately. Again, I want to say I'm sorry for putting you through that particular genjutsu. I didn't realize you would react so badly to genjutsu." He shook his head sadly before continuing, "I know how you must feel. I have to tell you though. Even without the ability to use genjutsu, you will be a great assassin. Probably better than me. You are a natural in all other aspects. If nothing else, find your own way. That is another option. Never let anything hold you back." After their talk, Kazu felt a bit better. He still wasn't sure exactly what Mitsu meant, but he figured the lesson would make sense in time…

_**Three Years Later**_

_**Entrance to Academy**_

(A/N Yes, yes. Another time skip. I added his initial training at five because I wanted to point out some, yes some, of his skills before I got too into it. I skipped to here because now he will start at academy. There will be at least one more time skip coming up soon. I don't enjoy them, but they move the story along from points of non-interest to points of interest. Hopefully you forgive me! ^-^'')

Three years after Kazuharu's run in with Mitsu's genjutsu and the resulting talk. He had recovered well, and seemed normal. On the inside though, he was still not the same wholesome boy he had once been. His perception of life had been destroyed ever so slightly by his run in with 'death'. He had since hardened himself against those thoughts though. No death fazed him anymore. He had seen real mangled bodies since then. Assassins who had failed in their duty and had to be recovered. It wasn't so bad. Soon he would go out and do his duty. He was starting at the academy now. It was only a matter of time. Four years to go actually. At the age of twelve. That is when you started real work. Training at five, academy at eight, assassination of low priority targets at twelve (provided you did well at academy), and you continue from there based on skill.

Such was life in The Village Hidden in the Night. It had been that way for years, and it was going to continue that way for as long as possible. There was only a small difference now. Yakangakure now had a pact with Konohagakure. It wasn't anything serious though, per se. If anything were to happen to the village, any survivors had permission to make way to The Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was a small precaution. Enemies of the Night had been getting closer, and assassins were only numbered as so many. In other words, they could not survive if a direct attack was initiated against them by a large enough army. It was just not statistically possible. Besides that, as assassins, they would all try to fight alone in their own way. So, a treaty was initiated. No more assassinating Leaf targets in exchange for safeguarding the youth and integrating them if necessary. No other countries were informed.

Kazuharu was now at academy. He was going to survive if anything happened. He was going to be the best he could. His nindo, or ninja way, had already been decided. Continuing on, no matter the way forward. Those were the words he lived by, because he now knew that the world was not as concrete as he'd hoped. Experiences told him that much. That was okay though, because that was being a ninja. Preparing for the worst and pushing past it in order to go on.

His clothing had taken a different turn from the norm, as had his appearance. His eyes, while still a bright yellow, no longer had that glowing look to them. His dark brown hair was unruly, but didn't stick out in odd ways. He took to wearing all dark colors in order to blend in the shadows more. Black or dark grey. His kunai holster attached to his left shoulder, his bomb bag on his right thigh, (he is right handed obviously) and a scroll holster on his belt. This was just the start though. Soon, he would gain more equipment. Soon, he would be the assassin he was born to be.

"Welcome to Shadow School 101," The instructor joked, "I am Kishin. I will be teaching you the basics of transforming, cloning, and substitution. There will be several other classes as well, but they are not mine. Know this. We will teach you, or you will die trying." He smirked slightly at some of the shocked faces. "Any questions?" A small boy in the front raised his hand slowly.

"Uh, uh, what if… We aren't sure about this… I'm not very confident in my abilities." He stuttered, fidgeted, and looked plain nervous as hell. Kishin looked at him, smiled, and said in a dangerous voice, "Leave now or die little one. You will have no other chance." The boy immediately ran out the door. Kishin addressed the rest of the class, "Anyone else?" but not a single person stood up. "Good!" He yelled, "That boy will be branded a traitor, and will forever be mocked, laughed at, and otherwise made an example of. He will live, yes, but what kind of life is that?"

Kazuharu was paying attention to every word the instructor had to say. It all made sense to him. That boy, whoever he had been, had failed in his duties before he ever began them. It was the job of youth to learn to protect their village and to do jobs to make the village money. Sure it was different for a clan of assassins, but that made it more strict. Kazuharu was prepared though. He would do what it took.

With that, Kishin took roll. When he reached Kazuharu's name he stopped and said, "Kazuharu? Huh. No last name eh? I thought you were Mitsu and Fu's boy?" Kazuharu stood up and called, "Yes sir. I often wondered why I only had one name as well, but it never occurred to me as odd. I never saw a need for a last name anyway." Kishin looked surprised by the answer but shrugged, "Alright, but I may just call you Haru. No need to say it all every time." The now dubbed Haru nodded his head in agreement and sat back down (Though few people will call him thus).

That class went on for a while, and Kazu was decent at all aspects he was taught. He could transform with relative ease, his clones turned out alright, and he could substitute when needed. Kishin praised him as an above-average student. The class went on for some time, then Kishin left. He was replaced by a woman named Vicious who was going to be teaching ninjutsu. They were taught a skill called **Realm of Darkness**, a move that encompasses a fifty meter area in shadow through which nothing can enter or leave, and by the end of that lesson, only Haru and a few others could do it correctly.

Next they covered taijutsu from a man named Red X (that's X, not ten). He taught them how to use relatively low amounts of chakra to control speed, power, and stamina. Many people were able to pick this up. Haru had plenty of competition. Red X pounded on them one at a time, just so they knew where they stood compared to him. They all ended the lesson rather bruised. Red X then attached weights to all of them, telling them that they would increase their speed, power, and overall taijutsu ability. The weight would increase as their skills did.

Next they were taught genjutsu by a woman named Koi. Someone in the front row joked about fish and was subject to what was probably a terrible, torturous genjutsu. He screamed, writhed in pain, then fell on his face. No one joked around again. Kazu was, of course, at the bottom of genjutsu class. He couldn't use it, and he couldn't release himself from it. It was terrible for him to say the least. Koi could sense Kazu's terrible ability, and because she thought it was him not trying, usually picked him to demonstrate. Needless to say, it pushed him farther away from the skill. It was like torture.

The second to last class covered ninja tool exercises. To say the least, Kazuharu did the best in the whole class. To say more about it, he managed to make everyone else look completely stupid and he was allowed to sit out of the rest of the lesson. The final lesson of the day covered chakra control. This class was taught by the ninja tool instructor, a woman named Shu. Kazuharu was able to control his chakra alright, but by no means perfectly. Most of the time he used too much power. Not so much that it would wear him out quickly, but enough that a long battle would be lost if it came down to a chakra competition. This would be a problem for him for a while, as Shu wasn't sure how to help the problem. Control wasn't a big issue for assassins, they usually used high power to take out their target anyway. The class was merely to help for non-combat chakra skills.

The classes continued on, day after day. Kazu made waves, and for that, other students were jealous. He was flawless in ninja tools without meaning to be. It seemed like even when he wasn't trying he could throw tools lethally. When practicing jutsu, he was usually within the top five. In taijutsu he made great progress and was up to weights of tremendous weight. Genjutsu was the only problem, and Kazu had long since given up on even trying in that class. Even Koi eventually stopped bugging him. All in all though, it was not too bad of an experience.

The academy was a place to teach survival. A skill that all assassins needed. It taught self-reliance, a skill needed to be effective assassins. Other countries used team tactics, but the Night Village saw no use for it, a mistake that was to cost them dearly in the future…


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Naruto Universe except the things that I came up with in my own mind. Other than that, all property belongs to its respective creators.**

**Chapter 2: Destruction, Fight or Flight?**

**Yakangakure: The Village Hidden in the Night**

**Three years later**

(A/N Time skip, yeah. Hopefully the last major one for a while. I'm just trying to move along to main points.)

Skills improve, time flows on, and children do not stay such forever. Three years at the academy. Kazuharu, now eleven, was slightly taller, had some muscle, and more training. He was third tier, showing he had lived thus far. The accolades for this include: a chain mail vest that stops shuriken and senbon, reduces kunai damage, but is useless against forceful stabs; a weapon of their choice which, in Kazu's case, was a tanto (short Japanese blade) that he named Black Heart after its dark metal; the third was the ability to sign a summoning contract with a shadow animal. Unbeknownst to Kazu, he only got that last one because he was a part of the Living Shadow Clan. No one had told him this yet. His summon, was wolves.

Some students had died during the training. It was inevitable. The training was harsh, the punishments were worse. Those who lived were important, they were the future. There could be no future if those who were trained for it did not respect the lives they had to live to get there. That seems an odd lesson for assassins, does it not? To teach them that life is precious? Kazu wondered about that himself, but never spoke it aloud...

One day, just after class, Kazu was wandering around the village. People regarded him with indifference. He wondered about that, but not too much. It had always been like that. No one liked him, but no one hated him either. He didn't know it, but they were afraid to be attached to him, and afraid of the repercussions of hating him. Either way though, he liked the solitude.

He was on his way to his favorite place at the time. The top of Mount Sin. He enjoyed sitting at the top of the mountain and staring up at the stars. They were always there, so he could at any time he wanted. At least, as long as he was finished with working for the day. The solitude, the stars, the darkness, the absolute beauty of it all was astounding. He was still always alert though, of course. It didn't pay to let your guard down anywhere.

'Ah, this is bliss.' He thought to himself as he lay back on the ground, 'Why can't it always be this easy?' Kazuharu was used to the tough training, the rough sensei, and the indifferent civilians, but it was nice to not have to deal with anything. He wasn't top in the academy, not at all, his genjutsu block saw to that. Still, he was high up there and people were ready to hire him as soon as he had gotten the highest honor/accolade the academy could hand him.

Kazu sat up slowly and began looking around the village. He saw a flickering light at the edge of town.

'Must be having a bonfire or something,' he shrugged in the silence, 'Wonder what the occasion is?' Kazu hadn't heard about any celebrations lately (though he was never invited to them anyway) and was slightly curious about it. He stood up and focused some chakra to his eyes,

"**Eagle Eye!**" he called out as he activated the jutsu. Soon he was scanning the flickering, which had moved slightly closer to the village.

'Curious.' He thought as the first few figures came into view. He couldn't quite make them out, but they were carrying torches and didn't look familiar. He released the jutsu, ready to rush down to see what was going on, when he saw that there were more flickering lights surrounding the village.

"By the gods…" Kazu whispered and dashed off in the direction of the elders' complex.

He moved through the shadows as he came closer to the village, hoping to catch a glimpse of the intruders. It was curious, no one had ever found the village before unless they were told where it was, which never happened anyway. He came close to the men and heard them yell out to the village,

"Alright you assassin scum! We have the village surrounded! Come out, declare your allegiance to us, and you'll all live! Do anything else and DIE!" The last word rang out into the silence. Kazu began to shadow meld through the village, hoping he didn't alert the unknown enemies. He quickly found himself in the elder complex.

"What do we do? They found us sooner than we anticipated. Not everyone has been prepared for the invasion yet!" The elder known as Tomag cried to the other two, "We cannot forsake our village!" He huffed and had to sit down, he was getting along in years.

"Calm down." Elder Verit said quietly, "We'll just have to evacuate everyone we can through the back gate and hope our assassin squad can hold them off." He didn't sound sure of himself though.

"You're right. We can't do much else. I'll send the announcement around, you both try to stall the invaders until the villagers are leaving." Elder Crom sighed. He had hoped for a better plan. Too much could go wrong in the current plan.

Kazu, having heard enough, planned to go help other people out. First though, he needed to get some of the scrolls from the elder mansion. They told of jutsu and training techniques the assassins held close. He thought he might need them, in case anything happened. He ran home immediately afterwards. He told his parents Mitsu and Fu, but they were both to stay behind and defend the fleeing people.

"No…" Kazu choked out the word. He didn't want to think about what would happen if they stayed.

"It will be an honorable death son…" Mitsu whispered to him, "Now go help those you can. We have to get to the front." Kazu stood there for a moment more, then nodded. They were right, of course.

"Did we do the right thing? In raising him how we did I mean? We pushed him hard all through his life. More than anyone." Fu asked her husband on the way out to the impending battle.

"It was necessary Fu. You know it was. I'd really like to think that we raised him as best we could though. He is strong." Mitsu said to her softly.

Meanwhile, Kazu was helping a few other students to try to leave the village. A few he had worked with before. Hawk, Vizer, and Terra. He quickly explained the situation and asked them to help him warn the civilians to evacuate. They agreed, but had a strange looks to give him as they left. He dismissed this as just being an odd coincidence. It took nearly a half hour, but all those contacted were on their way out the back. The elders were still talking to the invading army, though it was obvious they were anxious…

"You know what I think elder scum? I think you're stalling. Bow now, or die." The leader spat at elder Tomag while stepping towards him with a sword drawn. Tomag looked at Verit and Crom. They were both standing still, looking grave. Finally, Crom nodded. The three elders dropped to their knees, hoping to give the rest more time.

"There now. Was that so hard?" the leader laughed and cut off Tomag's head…

**THERE ARE TORTUROUS SCENES AHEAD! SKIP IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ IT! YOU WERE WARNED!**

The assassins, who had been in the area watching the exchange, began to attack before Tomag's head hit the ground.

"Bastards!" One yelled as he charged into the group of invaders, who revealed themselves to be members of the newly formed Sound Village.

'What?' Mitsu thought to himself, 'How did such a new village find us so easily? Even Konoha doesn't know our exact location!' He leapt into the battle almost immediately, and tried to hold his own. Others followed suit, each member attempting to use their knowledge of the village and their night vision to keep the opponents baffled.

It was battle that would last a few hours at most. The assassins, used to working alone on missions, were surrounded and slaughtered by teams of four or more. In time the only one left standing from the initial assault who hadn't fled was elder Verit. He had managed to stay hidden and was now attempting to get away. The leader, who revealed himself to be Orochimaru quickly found him.

"Don't go, we were having such fun! Hahahaha!" That laugh echoed through the village, followed by the anguished screams of Verit. The village was burning from the torches that had been throw around. Survivors were being hunted down and slaughtered. All in all, a complete job.

Outside the village, the ones who escaped were being followed by Orochimaru's men. Some were killed immediately, others tortured. Some assassins went into hiding to try and ambush the Sound Ninja, but were not very successful. For every one Sound taken out, at least three Night were taken. Further ahead, Hawk, Vizer, Terra, and Kazu were all attempting to flee. Out of nowhere, at least twenty-five sound ninja managed to surround them. They hadn't been careful enough.

Haru, quickly shouted, "Run!" Then performed a few hand signs and cried out, "**Ninja Secret Art: Shadow's Deception!**" He disappeared into the shadows.

"Coward!" Hawk cried out as Kazu disappeared. Hawk was the first to die. Three kunai found their mark in his kidney, lung, and heart areas. Of course, his vest stopped most of the damage. His face lit up in triumph, the last look he would ever give. One of the sound dashed in and cut through Hawk's throat quicker than he could react.

The next to fall was Vizer. He and Terra chose to flee when Haru told them to. He was immediately kicked in the head and flew into a tree. Terra kept going. Four of the ninja circled Vizer and yelled in unison, "**Fire Style: Flames of the Abyss!**" His blood chilling scream could be heard for miles as he burnt alive. His body was reduced to ashes, then vapor. Nothing would ever be left to know that a boy named Vizer even lived.

Finally, Terra was cornered about a half mile away. She had kicked into overdrive when she heard Vizer. She wasn't fast enough though. She tried to fight back. She dashed at one of the Sound with a kunai in hand and thrust towards him, but he caught her wrist and started to squeeze. She screamed aloud as her wrist broke and she dropped the kunai. The Sound Ninja caught it in hand and growled,

"Time for some fun…" He began to make slashes all over her body. Short, deep cuts that made her cry out in pain. She was crying uncontrollably before she finally lost consciousness from the pain. The Sound swiftly jabbed the kunai through her throat. Each breath pushed blood into her lungs. She drowned in her own blood.

**TORTURE OVER!**

The bodies that were still around were all grouped together and burned. The smell of burning flesh wafted off for miles. Orochimaru appeared near one of the Sound Ninja.

"Report." He hissed to the man.

"Sir! We rounded up everyone we found. The farthest out being about three miles. We don't think anyone escaped, but we are scouting around now!"

"Good. Now that that is out of the way, we can soon begin with my main plan."

"Sir, I have to ask. Why did we need to take out the Night Village for that plan?"

Orochimaru turned on him, "Are you questioning my orders?"

The ninja paled, "Of course not sir! I just wondered why you thought they would stand against you. They were more like mercenaries than anything. Couldn't we buy their loyalty and even use them against our enemies?"

Orochimaru laughed, "Where's the fun in that? Besides. You said it yourself. They are mercenaries. Someone could have paid them more to try to kill me instead. Now shut up and return to your duties." The ninja quickly dashed off.

Kazuharu, who had been in the shadows of the area maintaining his jutsu, had heard the whole conversation. Whoever that snake man had been, he was going to pay. Him and all the bastards he brought with him. For now though, Haru was going to need to make his way to the Leaf Village. It wasn't far, but it was going to be dangerous. He waited until the Sound Ninjas left before finally leaving the shadows. He gasped and nearly fell over. He had used a lot of chakra maintaining the Shadow Deception Jutsu. He would need food and sleep at the very least. He climbed to the top of a tree and looked out at the village…

What he saw made him gasp, and tears filled his eyes. The only home he had ever known was gone. There were only scorch marks to show that anything had ever been there. No debris. No bodies. Nothing. Even the scorch marks would fade in time. Haru was the only proof that such a village had ever existed at all… He was overcome with thoughts he couldn't begin to explain. Was he lonely? He'd never been before, but maybe that was because he knew that there was a village of people. A small village full, but enough. Haru felt numb. His hunger and fatigue no longer mattered. He had to survive. That was all. Live, then rebuild the village after snake guy was dead. Goal in mind, he ignored all other feelings and began to make his way to The Village Hidden in the Leaves.

It was going to be a treachorous journey at best. He had never been outside the village either, so that was going to be a problem. He knew how to get to Konoha, he had seen a map. That was the reason he'd been leading the others in the direction he had been. All he could think about doing was making it there though. That was all that mattered. Run in the general direction, and eventually he would see something that pointed him in the right direction. As they say, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. He took his first step into destiny.

**Village Hidden in the Leaves**

**A few days later**

(A/N Small time skip. Imagine whatever epic journey you wish.)

Kazuharu stumbled slowly through the gate to Konoha. A couple of Chunin who were guarding the gate called him over, but he ignored them and kept slowly limping his way along. One of the Chunin, who happened to be Iruka, walked over to him,

"Hey, kid, are you alright?" He put his hand on Kazu's shoulder, and Kazu immediately fell over from the contact. The other Chunin rushed over and asked in an incredulous voice,

"What did you do Iruka?"

"Huh? Nothing! I just asked him if he was okay and put my hand on him to get him to stop!" Iruka retorted.

"Gah, doesn't matter, take him to the hospital. I'll report it to the Hokage."

"Right." Iruka picked up Kazu and ran through the village carrying him.

**Hospital**

"It would have been quicker to Shunshin (body flicker technique, basically like teleporting) here Iruka!" One of the nurses yelled as Iruka ran through the doors. He flinched and hit himself in the head,

"I can't believe I didn't think of that… How is he though nurse?"

She sighed, "Dehydrated, malnourished, exhausted, the list goes on. He just limped through the gate? Where is he from?"

"Not sure," Iruka said sadly, "He collapsed the moment I touched him, like the only thing keeping him going was the fact that nothing was in the way."

"Alright, thank you Iruka, that might help. Now, you should probably get back to guard duty." The nurse sadly shook her head.

**Hokage's Mansion**

**Same time**

"Lord Hokage!" The other Chunin shunshined into The Third Hokage's office.

"Yes Shin (Chunin's name of course)?" He asked in a concerned voice, "What's the news from the gate?"

"Sir," Shin hesitated, "A boy wandered into the village just a few minutes ago. He looked… bad, to say the least."

Sarutobi (The Third Hokage) gasped, "Who is he? Where is he from? Where is he now?"

Shin sighed, "Unknown sir. He is currently at the hospital. Iruka took him while I came to inform you."

"Very good. Head on back to your post. I'll go check on the boy soon." Shin nodded and disappeared.

Sarutobi sighed, 'What is this ominous feeling?'

**Hospital**

Kazuharu awoke in the softest bed he had ever felt in his short life. He felt the machines that were monitoring him hum. He had no idea where he was. The last thing he remembered was… Wait! He was in the Leaf Village. He remembered collapsing just inside the gate. He opened his eyes quickly, as if he had merely closed them to blink. The nurse monitoring him gasped sharply and dropped her folder.

"Geez kid! Don't scare a girl like that!" She sighed, it couldn't be helped she supposed.

"Where am I?" He asked quietly, just to be sure. She looked at Kazu thoughtfully before answering,

"Well kid, you're in Konoha. The hospital to be more precise. You were battered, bruised, dehydrated, exhausted, and who knows what else. We still aren't sure how you lived…" He sighed in relief. He had made it alright. Well, as alright as he could manage considering the situation.

Kazuharu sat up and attempted to get out of bed, but the nurse pushed him back down,

"No way kid! You need to recover."

"I feel fine." He retorted, "Besides. I have an important mission… I need to see the highest ranking official you can bring me." She sighed. Why did she always get the people who wanted to run off the moment they opened their eyes?

"I'll see what I can do if you stay in bed."

He sighed again, "Fair enough lady. Be quick though. It's important." She immediately left the room to contact a Jonin at the very least and he immediately hopped out of bed and started stretching.

"There ain't no rest for the wicked." Kazu chuckled to himself. He really wasn't sure what he found funny about that statement.

Moments later, a Jonin walked into the room. They took one look at Kazu and said,

"Either they exaggerated, or you're great at faking your deathbed." Kazu laughed,

"Or, I heal quickly and can't stand the thought of sitting around waiting." The Jonin smiled at that. The kid had spirit, and a lot of it.

"So what's your name kid?" Kazu smirked,

"Kazuharu. I also go by Kazu or Haru if that's easier. Yours?"

"Asuma Sarutobi," He said, "It's nice to meet you Haru. Now, what exactly do you need help with?"

"Hm…" Haru hummed slightly, "I need an audience with the Hokage. I have news about a recent treaty that, well, can no longer truly be honored…" He looked at the ground sadly. Asuma sighed, knowing that something big happened. He walked over to the window, pushed it open, and lit up a cigarette.

"Wanna talk about it Haru?" He finally asked. Haru looked over at Asuma, gauging his facial expressions, wondering what he was thinking.

Finally, he spoke.

"Alright Asuma. Maybe it will help…" He breathed quietly for a minute, then started… When he finished telling about that day, he told of his journey to Konoha. It was a three day trip and he couldn't remember a lot of it due to his condition. When he finished, Asuma just looked stunned. He didn't know what to think of the situation, and it showed. Haru looked grim. It wasn't the telling of it, it wasn't the fact that only he lived, it wasn't even the destruction of his village. The part that bugged Haru the most, was the fact that he could do nothing to stop them. He didn't try to fight because one against thirty holds terrible odds unless you outmatch them in strength, speed, and overall combat skill. Haru was good, but so were all the others in the village. It was at that point that he realized what the village lacked. Teamwork.

He looked at Asuma, and asked the hesitant question,

"Do you think… I don't know… Maybe, if my village had worked at teamwork, squads, and such things, that the result could have been different? Too many tried to put themselves one against many, and only had someone else step in as they died. It just seems that it could have gone even slightly different if we had worked together." Asuma looked at Haru. Here was a kid, one who had just faced a terrible situation, thinking rationally about it all. Asuma answered Haru,

"That's one thing we do in Konoha, and I know many other countries do it too. They work as a team to make impossible odds, slightly more possible. Do I think it would have made too much of a difference to the outcome? Sadly no. Would more of those bastards have died? Probably." Haru nodded at the answer. It was clear what had to be done. He would stay in Konoha, learn what teamwork was and if it would help him, get stronger, then find his revenge down the road. There was no real hurry. It would come in time…

Soon after, Asuma left. Sarutobi had already been informed of Haru's presence, so he had to get back to his duties. He promised to help Haru out if he needed it later though. Haru, not wanting to sit around at all, was practicing some of his skills. He was facing the window, directing any projectiles out of it. As such, he didn't realize that The Hokage, Sarutobi, was behind him watching. He stood there, marveling at the skills such a young shinobi had. As soon as Haru stopped moving, he turned around and asked,

"Enjoy the show old man?" He didn't realize it was The Hokage until after he'd already said it. His face lost all trace of color and he stuttered,

"Uh… S-sorry Lord Hokage, I… Didn't realize it was you…" He went down on one knee to show respect. Sarutobi, slightly surprised, started laughing at the boy's actions.

Not long later, they had had several conversations. Sarutobi had asked about the situation of Yakan and hung his head sadly when he'd heard the news of its destruction. Kazuharu asked Sarutobi the same question he'd asked Asuma, and got basically the same answer. He did however add, "I have seen your skills, obviously." He chuckled slightly when Kazuharu blushed from the memory of earlier, "I have to say, you go beyond normal students. I will have you work with each Genin squad as a fourth member so you can learn some team skills. When the time comes, you will take the Chunin exams, though something special will need to be arranged for you... As soon as I have gauged your skills, we will come up with a permanent standing." He smiled at Kazuharu's reaction. The boy looked ecstatic. Kazuharu smiled, and said finally,

"Thank you Lord Hokage. I will do all in my power to make sure I do not let you down. This, is a wonderful chance. It was originally my dream to be a great assassin, but now, I will be a great ninja. It will be hard, but I won't give up." Kazuharu had confused himself slightly. Where were these words coming from? Why was he alright now? Was this simply his destiny?

Breaking him from his thoughts, Sarutobi took something out of his robes and handed it to Kazuharu. It was his own Leaf Headband. He was stunned, but managed to give his thanks,

"Thank you… Lord Hokage. This means… A lot to me actually. I also like the dark colored metal. It reminds me of my blade, Black Heart…" He pulled out the blade, and indeed, they were similar. Sarutobi kept up his same smile,

"You are welcome Kazu. Something of note. Your headband is unique in the metal. It shows you as a part of Konoha's ninja, yes, but the dark metal shows where you are from. I will announce it to the Shinobi Council at the next meeting. If it were not so crucial, I would not bother, but the situation of Yakan is dire…" His smile had left his face at this point. Kazu nodded all the same though. It made sense that he would honor those who had come before, even if it was in a small way.

They sat in silence for a moment more, then Sarutobi stood, headed for the door, and said just before he left,

"Make sure you are recovered, you will stay in the hospital tonight, but tomorrow we will find you a place to live. After that, you will go on your first mission in a few days. May as well start soon." Kazu nodded. He was ready to get started as soon as he could. Sarutobi left, and a nurse came in. She started yelling about him being out of bed, visitors that wouldn't leave him alone, "Even The Hokage! I swear!" and about her not being able to watch her patient. Needless to say, he lay down and let her watch him before she told him to get to sleep. It was getting late, though to Kazu, the night reminded him of home. He felt an ache that he couldn't explain. He didn't cry, he never had, but it was a long, mostly sleepless night…


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:New Life, New Troubles, and the First Mission**

**The Next Day**

Kazuharu had been out of the hospital for a little over two hours. He was mostly wandering around the village not doing much. He seemed to be attracting a lot of weird stares from people. Were they curious about him? Afraid of him? He wasn't sure, so he ignored it. It wasn't important anyway. For now, he had to find a place to live and buy some supplies for his first mission. Of course, it didn't help that he was constantly finding himself lost in the village. He sighed,

"Where am I now? I thought someone was supposed to show me around…"

Unknown to him, he was being watched by a certain overconfident ninja. The ninja scoffed,

"Feh, he doesn't look so tough. Why did the Hokage take such an interest in him? Show him around the village? As if I have nothing better to do! I'll show him around. While I kick his ass through the village!" With that said to himself, the ninja decided to start by throwing several kunai at Kazu.

'Danger!' Kazu thought before dodging away from the kunai. They stuck in the ground near him and he noticed something.

"A tag?" He wondered aloud, "Wait… Explosi-" BOOM! The tag exploded before he could even finish his thought. The area was covered in smoke and dust. The ninja revealed himself.

"Heh, I knew he couldn't be that tough. If it had been me, I woulda been fi-" Thud! He was taken by surprise with a kick to the side of his head. The fight was officially on.

"Bastard. Who are you?" Kazu yelled at the ninja. The ninja got up, rubbed the side of his head, and smirked.

"Know my name and fear. I am Sasuke Uchiha, the last of the Uchiha, and the best Genin in Konoha." Kazu looked at Sasuke with a blank face. What the hell was this guy trying to prove?

"Well Sasuke, if you want a fight, I'll honor you with that. Beware though. I've never been good at HOLDING BACK!" He yelled out and charged at Sasuke with speed that Sasuke didn't think would be possible from someone like him. Sasuke managed to block the punch and smirked slightly, but was then immediately reverse-kicked in the face. He flew into a tree, stumbled to his feet, and charged at Kazu, screaming his head off.

"I am the elite! You can't compare! Die!" He tried to punch at Kazu, but it was swiftly dodged and countered with a double-palm strike to Sasuke's chest.

"Alright Sasuke! I'm going to finish this now! If you die, tell the Reaper this was my gift to him!" Kazu roared as he swiftly performed some hand signs, "**Fire Release: Hell's Damnation!**" Before he could complete the transition though, a hand was on his shoulder, stopping him.

"That's enough. You proved your point kid." A Jonin level ninja said to him quietly. He then walked over to Sasuke, helped him up, and spoke to him for a minute. Kazu waited there, hoping to get some answers. Eventually, Sasuke walked away and the Jonin came back to Kazu.

"Sorry about that kid. He's a bit overconfident and thought that showing you around was a waste of time. Why Lord Hokage picked him, I'll never know. Maybe he was hoping that Sasuke would see that there are people better than him…" Kazu stared at the man, confused.

"Sir, what do you mean? Of course there are people better than him! Several rules to live by. Never underestimate your opponents, no matter what they look like, and always assume that somewhere, someone is stronger than you. The latter rule should be inspiration to always improve yourself. Never stop training, never stop learning, but never lose sight of your goal." Kazu sighed, "I'm sure I don't need to tell you any of this though." He started chuckling. The Jonin was a little surprised that a kid could exhibit such admirable qualities at such a young age. He was someone to watch….

"You're right about many things kid. I'm impressed. Don't think too badly of him though, he's…" The Jonin stopped, remembered who he was talking to, and sighed, "Never mind. After seeing you, I have no idea why he acts that way. You've dealt with worse than he has already…" Kazu sighed as well, apparently everyone knew his story already.

"Sir, may I ask your name? It's a little strange not knowing you, when you obviously know a bit about me." The Jonin laughed a bit.

"My bad kid, I'm Kakashi Hatake." Kazu nodded and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you Kakashi." They shook hands, "Now, if you have some time, do you think you could…" Kakashi interrupted him though,

"Don't worry. I'll show you around. I should probably also tell you that your first mission is going to be with Team Seven, that's my team, tomorrow. Unless you need more time to prepare?" Kazu smiled, he was getting started already. Perfect.

"Tomorrow is great, provided you show me where to get some equipment… What I'm wearing is all I have, as it were…" He sighed.

"Of course. We'll stop there first. Clothes, some tools, and I see you have a tanto? Well, some things to keep it in condition will help. We'll go now."

**A Few Hours Later**

"Well, I think you went a little overboard…" Kakashi laughed, when later Kazu collapsed under all the awkwardly positioned bags he was carrying. There were some muffled noises coming from the bags. Kakashi leaned in a bit,  
"Huh? What was that?" He moved a few of the bags that were on Kazu's head,

"I said, if you help me, this won't happen!" Kakashi laughed again, but picked up a few of the bags. With that, they went to an apartment-like complex that Kazu was going to be staying at. It had apparently been arranged already, because Kakashi had the key to the door.

"Well, here we are." Kakashi said when they entered Kazu's new place. "It's nice enough, and if you need anyone to talk to, well, luck would have it that Naruto, one of my team's Genin, is right next door." Kazu got an odd look on his face,

"Somehow," He laughed slightly, "I think that was planned…" He placed some bags on the ground and started looking around the apartment. It wasn't furnished at all, except a few basic things, but that was fine. It was a nice place overall. Kakashi placed the things he was carrying down too, and said,

"Well, looks like my work is done. If you think you'll be ready for a mission tomorrow, then meet us in Lord Hokage's office tomorrow morning at about eight." Kazu nodded and began to unpack his things. Kakashi shunshined away. Kazu looked at the spot where Kakashi disappeared,

'I have got to learn that…' He thought. He quickly put his clothes in his closet, got his gear ready for the next day, and lay in his futon thinking. The night had come. He found his thoughts drifting to his home, that time, and how he would never forget. He sighed. Was it going to be like this every night? He tried to sleep. His first mission was tomorrow…

**The Next Day**

The next morning Kazu awoke at seven. He needed to get ready, then figure out how to get to the Hokage's office. He shook his head. How could he forget to ask how to get there? He showered, got his gear ready, pulled on his chain mail, then looked at his clothes. He had bought basically all black or dark grey clothing. He had to laugh at that, it had been an unconscious choice. He picked out the first thing he saw, threw them on, then strapped his pouches and tanto to their usual places. He also had another problem though. Where to put his headband? By default it was a _head_band, but not everyone wore theirs like that. He opted for tying it onto his shin. It may have seemed weird, but it seemed as good a spot as any. Plus, why not do something unique?

He still had the problem of finding the Hokage's office. He heard a noise from outside though, and a loud voice,

"I'm gonna be late! Crap!" He opened the door to see a blonde-haired ninja in orange clothing dashing out of the apartment next door. That's when he remembered, Naruto! He closed the door behind him and dashed after the hyperactive ninja. He caught up rather easily which surprised him.

'Oh well,' He thought, 'At least I'm going to get there…' It was a few minutes later that Naruto flew into the office with Kazu right behind him.

"Naruto Uzumaki reporting for duty!" He yelled loudly.

"Lord Hokage." Kazu said just loud enough to be heard as he bowed to one knee. He was a little shocked that he was the only one. He thought it was customary. It didn't bother him though.

Sakura smirked at Kazu's actions, thinking it was dopey. Sasuke seethed at seeing the Yakan Ninja again so soon. Naruto just danced around giddily at the aspect of going on a mission. Kakashi sighed slightly at his team and their antics. Sarutobi looked at each of them then spoke,

"Since this is Kazu's first mission, and I want to gauge his skill, you will receive a C-Rank mission." Team Seven perked up at this news, they had been getting lame D-Rank missions all week, "You will be escorting a bridge builder and protecting him from bandits and thugs until the bridge is complete. He will be here shortly." As soon as the words left his mouth, the door slammed open and a man stood there. He looked at each of the team and frowned,

"A brat, a loudmouth, a fan girl, and an overconfident ass… Wonderful." The Genin, minus Kazu, all got angry at these words. Kazu figured he could change the mans mind through his actions. Besides, there were worse things than being thought too young…

Naruto yelled out,

"Who do you think you're calling a loudmouth!" Sasuke smirked and said loudly,

"You, loudmouth." Sakura giggled at their back and forth. Kakashi sighed in unison with Sarutobi, and Kazu had yet to get off his knee, awaiting leave. Kakashi wondered at that, normally only the ANBU did such things. He filed that away though.

"Well everyone," Kakashi said, stopping the impending fighting, "Let's meet at the gate in ten minutes. We have a mission to do." Sarutobi nodded at Kazu, obviously realizing what he was doing, who then finally got up and walked out of the room ahead of everyone else. He immediately went to the gate, having gotten all of his equipment ready earlier. He was joined almost immediately by Kakashi and the bridge builder, Tazuna.

"Hey brat, you sure you're up for this?" Tazuna growled.

"If all is as you say for this mission, then it should be no problem sir." Kazu said as respectfully as he could.

"Hmph…" Tazuna grumbled something about kids and their overconfidence.

About five minutes later, Sasuke showed up with Sakura in tow. She was chattering incoherently about how great she thought Sasuke was. He was ignoring her, but scowled at Kazu when they got close. Sakura noticed and proceeded to scowl at him too for no reason. Kazu shook his head, Kakashi ignored it by reading, and Tazuna looked slightly put out. They were waiting for Naruto, who managed to show up just in time. Izumo and Kotetsu, who were as usual on gate duty, waved to them as they passed. They were on their way now.

A few miles down the road, Naruto yelling loudly about how cool it was to leave the village, Sasuke brooding about something, Sakura staring at Sasuke's every move, Kakashi reading, and Tazuna drinking, Kazu noticed a puddle of water… This struck him as strange. There was no water anywhere else. He looked at Kakashi, who had also noticed the water, and gave a questioning look. He got a nod in reply and inconspicuously prepared himself.

Suddenly, two ninja shot out of the trees and wrapped Kakashi in a chain, who was then ripped apart.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Sakura screamed. She started to run forward, but Kazu yelled,

"No! Sakura, you and Sasuke guard Tazuna! Naruto, get the one on the right!" Kazu pulled out his tanto and dashed at the left ninja. He swung his blade, only to have it blocked by a gauntlet, so he threw a punch into the ninjas face. The ninja backed up slightly, but quickly rushed back in at Kazu who steeled himself for the attack. He blocked a kick and grabbed the ninja's leg, throwing him away. He quickly performed some hand signs and called out,

"**Ninja Secret Art: Shadow's Betrayal!**" His hands glowed with a black aura around them. He dashed at the enemy ninja, dodged under an attack, and planted his hands on the ninja's shadow before jumping back. The shadow instantly took form behind the ninja and slashed through his spine with a shadowy gauntlet. The ninja cried out in pain before crumbling to the ground. Dead. The shadow disappeared, reforming in its normal place under the ninja.

Kazu sighed and looked over the rest of the field. Naruto was sitting on the ground, his hand bleeding, Sakura and Sasuke were standing next to Kakashi, who had the other ninja under his arm, and Tazuna was just fine.

"Huh…" Kazu sighed, "Sorry guys. I issued orders without knowing your skills… I take responsibility for your injury Naruto…" Kakashi looked at Kazu then sighed as well.

"No, that was my fault. I was testing you all. I didn't think Naruto would freeze up like that…" Sasuke, feeling the need to make the situation worse, called out to Naruto,

"Are you okay? Or are you going to piss yourself too?" Naruto jumped up suddenly, but stopped when Kakashi yelled,

"Save it! If you move too much the poison from their claws will spread. We need to open the wound… Kazu, I'm sure you understand what's going on. Talk to Tazuna, I'll fix Naruto up." Kazu nodded, but before anyone could start moving, Naruto stabbed his hand with a kunai.

"With this kunai I vow, I will do my best. No matter what happens, we will complete this mission!" Kakashi sighed,

"It's cool how you're doing that to release the poison and all… But too much blood loss and…" He walked up to Naruto and said in a too sweet voice, "You'll die!" Naruto instantly freaked out.

"No! No I can't die yet! Aww crap!" Kakashi looked at the wound, had a surprised look that was there and gone so fast it could have been imagination, then bandaged the wound.

"Is, is it okay sensei? Am I alright?" Kakashi smiled,

"You'll be just fine, Naruto."

While Kakashi was bandaging up Naruto's hand, Kazu was talking to Tazuna.

"Alright Tazuna. I need you to tell me what's going on. Those are ninja, not your run of the mill bandits. I don't know much about the mission ranking, but I know this is not a mission for Genin." Tazuna glared at Kazu for a moment, then his expression softened.

"Alright… I'll tell you…" He sighed, "Soon. For now, can we continue? I'll explain on the way if need be. I would like to get home though." Kazu stared at him, then nodded. He knew Kakashi would agree, as long as he got an explanation. He just seemed like the type. Especially if these ninja were the worst to expect. They would know soon though…

Soon, they were on a small boat, floating into The Land of Waves. The boatman whispered,

"You'll see the bridge soon. The Wave Country is at the base of it." The bridge slowly shifted into view through the thick mist, and Naruto, being himself, yelled out,

"Whoa! Look at that!" The boatman angrily whispered at him,

"Shut up! There's a reason we're not using the motor and trying to be quiet!" Naruto closed his mouth. Kakashi looked over at Tazuna and asked,

"Alright Tazuna, are you going to tell us what's going on?" Tazuna sighed and said,

"Alright." He explained about Gatou and the shipping industry. How his bridge was the last hope for them to escape his clutches. He told them of the fact that the country was poor and could only afford a C-Rank mission. He managed to convince the ninja to at least escort him home with some expertly done guilt tripping. They arrived at some docks and they all stepped off. They were all alert for attack, except Naruto, who thought he would try to act cool. He threw some shuriken into the bushes, but claimed it to be a rat. They walked on a little more and Naruto threw another, nearly ending the life of a bunny.

Kazu looked at the rabbit suspiciously. A snow rabbit in the middle of spring? That didn't seem likely. Before he could voice his opinion though, Kakashi yelled,

"Everyone get down!" They instantly hit the deck and something large flew over their heads and into a tree. A man stood on top of the handle of a giant sword. Naruto got ready to attack, but Kakashi held him back.

"Well well, Zabuza Momochi. Missing-nin of the hidden mist." To everyone else he said, "Stay back. This guy is on a whole other level. It will be tough, unless I do this…"

He reached for his headband and began to raise it up. Zabuza spoke,

"Well well, Kakashi of the Sharingan. And I get to see it already? Lucky me." Kakashi revealed his one sharingan eye. Naruto and Kazu were confused,

"What the heck is the sharingan?" Naruto asked. Sasuke went into an explanation of the eye and how it could copy techniques that it sees. Zabuza confirmed it and revealed that Kakashi is a ninja known to have copied over a thousand jutsu.

"Enough talking!" Zabuza snarled, "**Ninja Technique: Hidden Mist Jutsu!**" The field around them suddenly began to cloud with mist.

"What the heck?" Naruto said loudly. They heard Zabuza's evil laughter out in the mist,

"Liver, lungs, spine, clavical vein, jugular, brain, kidneys, heart. Eight places to strike… Which will I choose?" Sasuke's body was shaking from the pure intensity of the impending battle until Kakashi called out,

"Sasuke! Calm down. I'll protect you all with my life. Don't worry." He turned and smiled at Sasuke.

"What a load of crap!" Zabuza called out as he appeared in the middle of the Genin and Tazuna. Kazu reacted first with a quick tanto strike through the throat. Kakashi looked surprised, but not as surprised as Zabuza, who turned into water.

"Sensei behind you!" Naruto yelled as another Zabuza slashed through Kakashi, who, to the surprise of everyone, also turned into water.

"He copied me? How?" Zabuza yelled as a kunai came to his throat. "Hehe, I see. So you're better than I thought." A voice from behind Kakashi, "Not good enough though." The clone in front turned into water and Kakashi barely ducked under a swing from Zabuza. They had a slight fist fight for a moment, then Kakashi flew into the water and Zabuza trapped him in a water prison jutsu.

Zabuza created another water clone that kicked Naruto out of his headband. Kakashi yelled out,

"Take Tazuna and run! You cannot win this fight as long as I'm trapped!" Naruto however, got pissed off and ran at Zabuza, he was kicked away again.

"Damn it Naruto! What were you thinking?" Sakura yelled at him. Naruto had his Leaf Headband back in hand though.

"Hey freak! Know this! One day, I, Naruto Uzumaki will be Hokage! Believe that!" Sasuke smirked, Sakura gasped, Kazu and Tazuna smiled, Kakashi looked surprised, and Zabuza looked unfazed. Kazu spoke,

"Alright Naruto. I take it we're planning on fighting then if you made that kind of declaration." Naruto smiled brightly,

"You know it! Now let's save sensei!" Kazu smiled and performed a few handsigns,

"**Ninja Secret Technique: Shadow's Deception!**" He quickly disappeared into the shadows the mist was creating. Zabuza gasped,

"What the hell was that? He just disappeared…" Suddenly, several kunai were lodged in the water clone and it disappeared to show Kazu standing there. Zabuza got angry. His water clone, defeated so easily? Sure it was weaker than himself, but still. Who was this guy?

Naruto and Sasuke had been waiting for that exact moment and both jumped out at the real Zabuza.

"Toryaa!" They both yelled out as they punched him in the face and chest simultaneously. Kakashi was released.

"Damn brats!" Zabuza yelled in fury. "I'll rip your throats out!" Kakashi stopped him though. Zabuza growled and started doing hand signs, Kakashi copying them in the exact same instant. They both called out,

"**Water Style: Water Dragon Blast Jutsu!**"

"What the hell? How is this possible?" Zabuza yelled out. He and Kakashi had a slight back and forth with Kakashi messing with Zabuza's mind. Kazu smirked at this. He knew there had to be more to it. Sasuke hadn't mentioned anything about mind reading. They both did hand signs at the same time again, but Zabuza got distracted. Kakashi called out,

"**Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!**" Zabuza gasped and yelled,

"Damn it! This is impossible!" He swept away into a tree, "Can you see the future?" Kakashi smirked,

"Yes, you're dead!" He was about to lunge at Kakashi when two Senbon found their mark in Zabuza's throat.

"You're right. He is." A ninja wearing a mask said from atop a nearby tree.

"What the hell?" Naruto yelled. "All our work and he's killed by a kid who is probably our age! Why are we so weak?" Kakashi sighed.

"Naruto, that's the truth of it. In this world there are many different people. People younger but stronger. Look at Kazu, he is a year younger than you, but if you haven't noticed, he is stronger. There are even kids younger than him with power to match or go beyond mine." Naruto paled at his words. Sasuke frowned deeper than ever. Sakura looked afraid. Kazu didn't know how to feel, and it showed.

"I'll help you all get stronger though. No need to worry." Kakashi finished. The ninja from the tree said,

"I am a hunter-nin, I will be taking him now. Thank you for the help." He picked up Zabuza's body and disappeared. Kakashi sighed, then promptly fell over.

"I think I used the Sharingan too much…" He said quietly. Kazu looked at him, and started laughing. He couldn't explain why. It just struck him as funny.

When he stopped laughing, he picked up Kakashi and they walked to the village Tazuna lived in and into his house. Kakashi was put into a futon to rest. They met Tazuna's daughter Tsunami. They waited around and heard an explanation of what a hunter-nin does to a missing-nin. Kazu was fascinated by the idea. Kakashi got a weird look on his face though, like he was missing something. They all noticed and Naruto asked,

"What's up sensei? Something wrong?" Kakashi thought for a moment and revealed his suspicions. "Normally when a hunter-nin disposes of a body it is done on the spot. Zabuza was taken away." The others looked a little confused, so Kazu clarified,

"He means, that wasn't a real hunter-nin. Zabuza may still be alive…" Kakashi nodded solemnly. The others paled and gasped at the prospect.

"But, you said he was dead! Those Senbon in his neck!" Naruto nearly shouted. Then he understood slightly, "Wait, Senbon? Those aren't normally used for combat are they?" Kakashi shook his head.

"Very astute Naruto. I'm surprised. No, they are usually used in acupuncture and such things. They have a low mortality rate unless they hit a vital organ or fill you up like a porcupine. It's likely that that kid was trained in the body structure like ANBU and hunter-nin usually are, but he used it to save Zabuza from us…" Kazu was thinking about it. It all made sense, even though it sucked.

Kakashi explained they would need to train until he recovered. They also met Inari, Tazuna's grandson. He turned out to be kind of a downer and Naruto got into an argument with him. Inari soon left. Kakashi lay back down and said to the group,

"Alright everyone, get some rest tonight because tomorrow we're going to train. It should be at least a few days, if not a week before Zabuza is back up again. We have until then to train." Naruto went upstairs, probably to give Inari a piece of his mind. Sasuke leaned against a wall. Sakura did basically the same, trying to stay near Sasuke. Kazu walked outside and sat on the docks. He looked out over the water and at the sky.

'Well,' He thought to himself, 'This isn't what I expected, but it's nice.' He fell asleep out on the docks that night. It was warm enough, so he didn't get cold. Tomorrow, the training began…


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Fighting the World, or Something…**

**The Next Day**

Kakashi was on crutches and the four training ninja were standing with him in the middle of some trees. He explained they were going to be learning to effectively use chakra.

"What's chakra?" Naruto asked suddenly. Kazu, having not expected this in the slightest, fell over. He scrambled back to his feet and nearly shouted,

"What? How do you not know what chakra is?" The others laughed.

"He was dead last at the academy." Sakura explained, "Most of the time it looked like he was sleeping through the classes." Naruto mumbled something about sleeping through the hard classes. Kazu sighed and Sakura said,

"I'll explain it then, so pay attention!" She gave a quick, detailed explanation of chakra and how it functioned to make jutsu.

"That's all well and good," Sasuke said suddenly, "but we can already use jutsu. You've seen it." Naruto nodded along with him, but Kakashi smiled,

"Nope! You aren't using your chakra properly! So, we are going to show control, by tree climbing!" They were slightly confused, so Kakashi gave a quick explanation and demonstration.

"Makes sense." Kazu sighed, he was hoping for some other kind of training. This could be useful though. When given the start, only Sakura made it to the top of the tree immediately, so she was elected to guard Tazuna for now. Kazu had made it kind of far up, but was breaking through the bark every few steps up and stumbling. Sasuke made it about halfway up before he broke in too far and had to jump away. Naruto fell on his head from not using enough. Naruto asked Sakura how to do it, she reluctantly told him something then walked away. Kazu tried it several more time and managed to get it on the third try. He too went to guard Tazuna. The other two were stuck training for a while.

**With Sakura and Kazu**

"Looks like you're pretty good then." Sakura said when she saw Kazu walking up. He shrugged slightly.

"I guess. So, what can you tell me about your academy's training? I know it is obviously different to my own. How different though?" They spent the next few hours comparing schools and Kazu was surprised to find that the training they received in Konoha really was not that difficult. He laughed when he revealed that to Sakura.

"Oh? And how difficult was yours then?" She asked. Kazu looked at her seriously then said,

"Only about twenty percent of all students live through the training for all four years. Most die or leave because they can't handle it." He looked around a bit, "I made it through three years before that night in my village." She nodded, her mom was on the civilian council and everyone already knew about it. She didn't say anything though. Tazuna soon came up and said that work was done for the day. They headed back to his place, but Kazu immediately went out again to train.

**With Naruto and Sasuke**

They were still running at the tree. Sasuke was making it farther than Naruto though. Naruto got a bit upset, but then calmed down and remembered what Sakura had told him. He concentrated and managed to get almost all the way up the tree. He cheered,

"Yeah! Thank you Sakura!" They continued practicing, with Sasuke getting mad at the lack of progress he was making. Naruto had made it to the top of his tree and was now just trying to control it better. Sasuke finally walked over and asked,

"Naruto, uh… What did Sakura tell you earlier?" He was blushing slightly, having to ask for help was embarrassing. Naruto smiled, then began laughing.

"It's a secret!" He stuck his tongue out at Sasuke then calmly walked up the tree. That brief joy gave him his final bit of motivation. Sasuke, however, was pissed.

**With Everyone**

At dinner, Sasuke and Naruto were having a competition of sorts to see who could eat more. They kept puking it back up though…

"Guys, chill out. Puking the food back up doesn't help at all you know." Kazu said as he walked out of the house after eating one helping. Sakura groaned,

"He's right Sasuke. Even if you need to eat to regain your energy, it's doing nothing for you if it doesn't stay down." Naruto heard what they said and stopped eating. He was done anyway. Then he left after Kazu. Kakashi figured they were both headed off to train. Sasuke left the room to be alone. Sakura was looking around and saw a ripped picture. She asked about it, and was told a story about Inari and his father figure, Kaiza. Kaiza was a hero in the country that was later executed by Gatou.

**With Kazuharu and Naruto**

He went off after dinner with Naruto following a ways behind him. He knew the boy was there, but it didn't both him.

"Something I can help you with Naruto?" He finally asked the orange ninja.

"Uhh, well, can you train me some? I already got the tree climbing thing down. I need to be stronger though!" Kazuharu sighed. He had expected this eventually.

"Sorry Naruto. My techniques, most of them anyway, are from my village. I am the last user of them, and it will stay that way." Naruto looked a bit sad, but continued,

"Well, what about the ones that aren't strictly your village's? And you can always just teach me some of that speedy taijutsu you do!" Kazu thought about it for a bit. He didn't mind training him up a little. It could be fun…

"Well, I'll do what I can. You should really ask Kakashi though. He is your sensei after all." Naruto got really excited, yelling out "Hurray!" and "Alright!" for a bit. Kazu shook his head. What did he just do?

"Alright now, calm down a bit. Now, the secret to my taijutsu is this." He pulled out several scrolls, did a hand sign, and released the contents from the sealed scroll. It was a few weighted clothing items.

"Any taijutsu specialist will tell you that these are the key to getting faster and stronger. I'm wearing some now. They are heavier than these, but it's a good starting point." Naruto looked at the weights in minor shock. All he had to do was weigh himself down while training? He should have thought of that.

"Well, good luck. I'll check on you in a little while. Try not to overdo it though…" Kazu called behind him as he continued to walk away. It was time for some silent contemplation, and a bit of practice…

**A Few Days Later**

**With Naruto**

Naruto was laying on the ground, exhausted. Trying to run around in the weights Kazu gave him was brutal. He would stick with it though. All for furthering his goal. He couldn't move though, his muscles were all crying out in pain, so he just lay there, recovering. He hadn't seen Kazu in a few days, nor did he really expect to though. If Naruto was training this hard, he had to be doing some insane training. Naruto laughed to himself. He didn't know why. He was just laughing for the sake of laughing. Then he fell asleep.

**With Sasuke and Sakura**

Sasuke was pissed. He had made it to the top of the tree, his control was great, but he didn't feel any stronger. He spent his time training, but he couldn't tell if it was helping. It was making him even more angry that Sakura was mostly just sitting around watching him.

"You could be using this time to train you know!" He yelled at her for probably the fifth time that day. She just sat there though, looking at him. In her mind, she knew that she should train, but if anything happened to Sasuke, she wanted to be there to make sure she could help.

"I am training, just mentally!" She retorted, "Besides, if you train too hard and collapse, I can bring you back." He cursed quietly to himself. It was annoying. He kept training though. He had to surpass everyone. He had to be strong. He had to do something.

**With Kakashi and Tazuna**

Kakashi sighed. He hated not being able to move fully. He was close to recovery though. In his mind, he knew that someone else was then too…

"Hey Kakashi, ain't you worried about those kids? They have all been gone every night now. Training or not, that's a push." Kakashi laughed,

"I'm not sure about Kazu since this mission is his first time with the squad, but the rest of them all work really hard to do what they can. They will train as hard as they can for as long as they can." Tazuna nodded. It seemed his first impression of the ninja had changed. They weren't children in the sense he had originally thought. They were truly ninja in his eyes now. He laughed at his revelation.

**With Kazu**

'Alright,' He thought to himself while doing push-ups, 'A few hundred more to go, then sprints.' He wasn't tired. He was used to pushing his body beyond normal limits while training. It was one of Shadow School's favorite training methods. He smiled at that. Shadow School, the only joke ever allowed at the academy. He shook himself from his thoughts though. Can't get distracted. Need to be stronger, faster, more deadly. No matter how hard he tried, those ingrained thoughts would never disappear. He had to kill his enemies. That was the rule. Even if he knew the person he had to kill.

'No,' He thought, 'Not anymore. I'm a ninja of Konoha, they don't always kill their enemies… do they?' His internal struggle was interrupted by a presence. He jumped to his feet and prepared himself. It was only a wild boar though. He sighed. Feeling too jumpy…

**Tazuna's House**

**Few Hours Later**

Kazu walked into the house and sat down in a corner. Kakashi watched him as he walked in. Sasuke and Sakura were already back. They were just missing Naruto. Kakashi looked over at Kazu,

"So, been training hard? Or hardly training?" He laughed at his joke. Kazu smiled, but didn't say anything. Instead he leaned his head against the wall and fell asleep. Kakashi laughed more. He'd never seen anyone fall asleep that quickly before. His thoughts went to Naruto, he should have been back already, but he could have been training all night… Sakura tried to curl up to Sasuke while he slept, but even in his sleep he instantly pushed her away. She sighed and slept off to the side. Kakashi shook his head, girls these days and their crushes. He then lay down, he felt that by tomorrow he would be on his feet again. Which probably meant Zabuza would be too. They'd have to be prepared for attacks.

Naruto woke up not long later. His body still ached, but he figured he would be okay for now. He got up and walked himself back to Tazuna's. On the way, he saw a girl picking flowers near where he'd been passed out. He walked over to her,

"Hey lady, it's dangerous to be out here alone. You never know what could be out here." She smiled, and it was a beautiful sight.

"No need to worry. I do know how to take care of myself. Besides, with this last batch of herbs my friend will be healed." He looked at her in wonder,

"Oh, well that's nice of you!" He smiled at her brightly and she laughed,

"Well yes. You should always protect and help those who are precious to you. Do you have anyone like that?" He thought about it for a few moments before saying,

"Yeah, I know exactly how that it. I may not have many people that are close to me, but those who are, I would do anything in my power to protect. You know?" She smiled again,

"I do know. Never lose that feeling. It will make you stronger." She got up and started to walk away. "See you later." He smiled and nodded at her. Guess you meet interesting and nice people anywhere…

Naruto found himself back at Tazuna's house. He walked inside, saw everyone was already asleep, so settled down and stared at the ceiling.

'I'm sure it will be happening soon.' He thought to himself, 'I hope all of my training has been enough.' He looked at his hands, they were shaking from his training the past few days. He had really pushed himself.

"Thanks Kazu, it really helped." He said into the darkness. He fell asleep with a slight smile on his face. The next day promised to be interesting. It was going to show the fruit of their training…

The next day as they were getting ready to head for the bridge for the day, Kazu stopped suddenly, looked around and got a strange feeling.

"I think I'm going to hang back for a while…" He said to everyone else when they looked at him, "Something doesn't feel right…" Sasuke smirked at him,

"Afraid? I thought Naruto was the only chicken we had here." Kazu glared at him,

"Not on your life weakling. A shinobi should always follow their gut. Mine is saying to hang behind for a little while. Unless you don't think you can handle it without me?" Sasuke glowered at him, but no other objections were made. Kakashi led the way for the group and called back,

"Be sure to catch up when you can. We'll need everyone." Kazu nodded after him then headed back into the house.

Inari was sitting at the table when Kazu walked back in,

"Did you grow some brains and realize it's useless to fight someone you can't beat?" Kazu gave him an odd look, he hadn't heard the story of Inari's past with Kaiza.

"Huh, they're all just gonna die. It's no use at all." Kazu glared at him with an intense look,

"And what makes you think you know anything about that? A kid like you, who has been at home all his life." Inari started crying, but also got angry,

"My father was executed in front of me! All the hope that he gave our village was for nothing! In the end he couldn't stop anyone and neither can you! What do you know of my pain?" Kazu got a dangerous look in his eyes and before Inari could blink, he was being held up by his shirt.

"What do I know of pain? I know so much it would give you nightmares. So your father was killed. Big deal. You insult his memory and the memory of all those who gave their lives to protect their beliefs. You think you're so tragic. You know nothing. Don't pretend you do. Now, I have to save your town just to prove to you that heroes do exist…" He dropped Inari and walked outside where he was confronted by two Samurai.

"Looks like my feeling was right…"

The samurai looked at Kazu, none of the ninja were supposed to have been there.

"Hey, wasn't this supposed to be an easy job?" One asked.

"Who says it still isn't? He's a kid. Plus, now we get to cut something!" The other relied.

"Heh, good idea my friend. Let's get him!" They both charged at Kazu, but to him it didn't look like they'd been trained all that well. When they went to swing at him, he leapt over them, did a quick turn, grabbed their heads, and slammed them together, effectively knocking them out.

"Why do I get the weak ones?" Kazu sighed. "It may sound overconfident, but I think I could do a lot more than this…" He tied up the samurai and left them hanging off a nearby flag pole. With that, he dashed off to meet the others.

'I really need to learn that teleporting technique…' He thought to himself, 'At this rate I might not make it in time!'

**With the Others**

The hunter-nin that had supposedly captured Zabuza turned out to be working with him. Zabuza attempted to scare the Genin with a few water clones that Sasuke swiftly took out.

'Hmph, showoff…' Naruto thought as he kept his position near Tazuna. It seemed like Sasuke was getting the upper hand as he and the hunter-nin, Haku, were having a high-speed taijutsu battle.

"Sasuke has really improved…" Kakashi said quietly as he stared Zabuza down. Zabuza merely laughed,

"You haven't seen anything yet." It turned out, he was right. Haku performed some hand signs and called out, "**Special Ninja Technique: Crystal Ice Mirrors!**" Sasuke was surrounded in the mirrors and Haku stepped into one. Kakashi said,

"This is bad…" and tried to dash off to help, but Zabuza stopped him.

"If you want an opponent, it will be me!" He snarled. Kakashi thought quickly though,

"Naruto! Help Sasuke!" but Zabuza yelled out,

"I think not kid!" but was blocked by Kakashi just long enough for Naruto to dash over to the mirrors.

"Your opponent is me. Remember?" Kakashi grinned. Zabuza was pissed, and attacked. He punched at Kakashi, but he ducked under it and kicked at Zabuza's legs. The kick was jumped over and countered with a sword swing downwards. Kakashi stepped to the side and the bridge was struck instead. They continued back and forth, neither letting up, but neither getting in a hit either, when they both stopped at the same time to see the other battle.

"Looks like even with them both working together, Haku is too much." Zabuza laughed, clearly in a good mood over the events, "It's only a matter of time before he finishes them off." Kakashi sighed, he knew that Zabuza had a point, even if he didn't want to believe it. Zabuza kept talking though,

"Besides. Even if they could win, they don't have it in them to do what it takes. Haku will fight until his last breath, and they won't take the final shot. They don't have what it takes to kill." He laughed evilly, and once again Kakashi knew he was right. The only one who would have no qualms about killing was Kazu, and he was currently busy…

On the other side of the bridge, Sasuke and Naruto were getting their asses handed to them. Haku wouldn't let up in his high-speed assault that was so fast, they couldn't see it if they strained to.

"Damn it! Even after all that training! Is this it?" Naruto yelled in fury. Even with the weights giving him new speed and strength he couldn't seem to make much of a difference. Granted, he had only been using them for a few days, but he thought he had trained more than that… Sasuke nodded his head in assent. He was pissed too.

"Just stay focused idiot. I can't watch him for both of us!" Sasuke said as he got prepared for another pass by Haku. "Just try to avoid dying on me." He then barely managed to stay on his feet as Haku flew by him. Haku was slightly mystified,

'I'm aiming for vital areas, yet he keeps managing to barely dodge them…' He passed by again, but was completely dodged.

'What?' He thought, 'That was impossible!' Sasuke, however, was ecstatic.

'Yes, I can see! I can see the movements!' Haku looked around at them both, then quietly spoke,

"Not bad kid. To activate something like that under such extreme conditions. Too bad it's too late!" Haku dashed at Naruto, who couldn't see the movement, and Sasuke raced to save him.

'Why am I moving?' Sasuke wondered, 'I don't even like the dope!' Before he could make it though, another figure in black flew through the air even faster and kicked Haku's head into the ground. Kazu had arrived.

"My bad guys. I got a little distracted…" Kazu said solemnly, "You both alright?" He looked at both of them covered in needles and sighed. What a dumb thing to ask. Naruto was excited,

"Now you're in for it masked kid!" He yelled at Haku, who was picking himself up off the ground, the mask in pieces. Naruto was shocked when he saw Haku's face.

"You! But… In the forest… Flowers for… You're with HIM?" He yelled out in anger. Kazu looked at Naruto, slightly confused,

"What do you mean Naruto?" He asked, "You've seen him before?" Naruto nodded his head.

"Yeah, yesterday. Though I thought he was a she. He was wearing a dress." Despite himself, Sasuke started laughing at this. Haku blushed slightly before angrily saying,

"I dressed like a girl to fool you! Idiot! It obviously worked too!" Naruto had had enough. He rushed at Haku and delivered a high-powered kick straight into Haku's side. He skidded about ten feet away.

The others on the bridge watched the exchange, and Zabuza was angry again.

"Damn that brat! Haku was about to finish them off…" He then went into form,

"**Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!**" He yelled out and disappeared into the mist. Kakashi revealed his sharingan and looked around. He heard Zabuza's laughter from all around him.

"Sharingan again, Kakashi? Is that all you can do?" Kakashi suddenly had to block shuriken that flew out of the mist. "Ohh, nice block Kakashi, but," A voice from behind him, "Can you block this?" Kakashi was kicked in the side and skidded a few feet away.

'Damn it. This mist is thick… I can't see him in time… Where would he… No!' Kakashi dashed away just in time to block Zabuza's sword slice with his chest…

"Ugh…" Kakashi gasped slightly. Zabuza laughed,

"Impressive. But not quite good enough." He disappeared back into the mist. Sakura gasped,

"Kakashi sensei!" Kakashi looked at her seriously,

"Stay here. I'm going to end this." He pulled out some scrolls, swiped some blood along them, and called out,

"**Summoning: Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique!**" Zabuza, who had been gloating about finishing the battle with his next strike, was suddenly caught from underground by a group of ninja dogs.

"I told you it would end in your death Zabuza. Now, say goodbye." He performed a few hand signs and gathered chakra into his hand. Zabuza stared at it wide eyed…

On the other end of the bridge, Haku's mirrors had crumbled. He was out of chakra and was being attacked three on one. He knew it was over for him. Naruto sighed,

"It doesn't have to be like this Haku. Give up. I don't want to have to kill you like this. You're too good of a ninja to die for someone who doesn't care!" Kazu gasped, he had underestimated the restraint and caring Konoha shinobi seemed to have. Sasuke looked murderous, and Haku just stared at Naruto. Was he really saying those words to him? Sasuke yelled at Kazu,

"Idiot! Just kill him and be done with it! He is the enemy!" Kazu glanced at Naruto who yelled,

"Why is he the enemy? Was it his choice? I want to know damn it! Someone like this doesn't just suddenly decide to kill people for a maniac!" Sasuke backed down slightly. Haku was confused though,

"Does it matter why? I just tried to kill your friends. What does it matter about motivation?" Naruto sighed. Haku was not making his case any easier…

"Well, it's kind of like this Haku. A ninja does not kill on instinct. No human does. They kill for a reason. Whether it is for revenge, so called justice, or orders. I just want to know why you're doing this." Haku sat up and looked at them, then spoke.

"I am Zabuza's tool. He saved me, so I am his to use. That is all. If he wishes me to kill, I kill. If I have to die for him, I will." Naruto looked at Haku sadly while Kazu added,

"It doesn't have to be that way Haku. Just because he saved you, doesn't mean he can use you. You can make your own choice. Yes, thank him for saving you. That is always something to do. I think you've given your thanks more than enough already though. Come with us… Start over…" Haku looked at Kazu oddly, then glanced at Naruto, who nodded. Sasuke looked angry at the prospect, but said and did nothing.

"Are… You sure that's possible? To start over? Will you… Help me?" Haku asked hesitantly, with a slight trace of tears. Kazu nodded, but whispered to Naruto,

"I hope you know what you're doing…" Kazu walked over to Haku, and helped him up…

"So foolish," Haku said quietly as Kazu turned around.

"Wha-?" Kazu managed to gasp as Haku jabbed a Senbon into the back of his neck. Haku laughed,

"Did you really think someone would change so easily? I may not always like what I do, but it defines me. Enjoy the paralysis and your bath. Goodbye Kazu." Haku then did a reverse-spinning kick that connected with Kazu's chest and flung him off the bridge.

Kazu yelled out, "You mother fucckkkeeerrr!" SPLASH! He hit the water two-hundred feet below and began floating away in the current. Naruto gasped and called out,

"What? Sasuke! Go help Kazu! I'll settle this bastard…" He glared at Haku with intense hatred, and Sasuke just walked away slightly out of the way. No way was he going to go after the other idiot. Naruto didn't notice, as his features had started to become more feral. His intensity was unleashing the power of the Nine Tails!

"What is this intense chakra?" Haku gasped as Naruto neared him. "It doesn't feel human!" Naruto punched Haku in the face, causing him to skip across the ground. Sasuke was looking on in shock. What was going on?

"You… How could you?" Naruto yelled as he stood over Haku, "We offered you a way out. You could have gotten away and lived honestly!" He used his claws to rip some of the flesh off Haku's arm, "Instead, you throw it away! For what? Someone who is going to let you die!" Naruto unleashed a fury of blows upon Haku. Blood flew everywhere. He had lost control of himself and was acting on pure killer instinct. Haku's cries rang out into the distance, chilling those who were within earshot. Sasuke ran down the bridge towards Kakashi and the others. He had to tell them what happened…

On the other end of the bridge, Kakashi was about to finish off Zabuza when they heard Kazu's voice yell out something incomprehensible.

"What was that?" Kakashi wondered aloud. Zabuza laughed maniacally,

"It seems that your team is no match for Haku, even with that other brat. Why don't you just…" His words were cut short when they heard the blood-chilling screams Haku was letting out…

"What the hell?" Kakashi gasped as he felt the Nine Tail's chakra was over him. Even Zabuza was put out by it. First the screams, then this sudden inhuman power? He struggled against the dogs, trying to get away when they saw a figure running at them. It was Sasuke.

"Sasuke! You're alive!" Sakura yelled out happily, but Kakashi looked grave.

"What happened?" He asked fiercely, "Where are the others?" Sasuke glared for a moment before briefly, but slowly, explaining the situation. Kakashi's eyes widened as he heard what had been going on. Naruto rampaging and Kazu floating off downriver paralyzed? Not good. Naruto had to be dealt with first. He dashed off to Naruto and pulled out a slip of paper. Naruto glanced up at Kakashi just in time for Naruto's headband to be hit off his head and the paper pressed against his forehead. The paper glowed slightly and the Nine Tail's chakra began to recede from Naruto.

"Phew… Made it just in…" He caught sight of Haku's mutilated body and sighed. Naruto fell on the ground breathing hard. He looked up at Kakashi and asked,

"What happened? What did you do?" It seemed he couldn't remember it well.

"I'll explain later…" Kakashi sighed as he picked up Naruto and carried him back to the other side of the bridge. Zabuza was still being held by the dogs, but one of them let go long enough to ask,

"How long do we have to hold this guy for Kakashi?" Kakashi sighed and replied,

"Just a moment. Let me set Naruto down." The dog nodded and re-bit Zabuza, who winced slightly.

"For real this time!" Kakashi said before performing a few hand signs. The others watched in suspense as Kakashi gathered his chakra to his arm. It burst into sight and made a sound like thousands of birds. Zabuza paled and had a shocked look on his face. He realized he was actually going to die here. Kakashi charged at Zabuza with his hand held out and jabbed it into Zabuza's chest, calling out,

"**Chidori!**" Zabuza's eyes widened further as his blood flew out of his body.

"It's over Zabuza. I told you." Kakashi whispered quietly. It had been a tough battle. Everyone else was shocked that it had ended like this. It seemed so simple now. Now that everything was done…

"Ha! I guess all that crap about the Demon of the Mist was just a joke then!" A voice yelled from behind them. They all turned around quickly to see a mob of people with weapons. A small guy was leading them.

"Wha-? Who is this guy?" Naruto asked as he stood up. Kakashi looked at the small man and said,

"Gatou…" Naruto got an angry look on his face. He looked at the blood he was covered in and started shaking slightly.

"You mean… HE is the one responsible for this? He took away this village's courage? He is the one who hired Zabuza? He is the one who is responsible for so much pain and suffering?" He yelled at Kakashi, who could only nod in response. He was judging their odds. The men Gatou brought probably weren't well trained, but their numbers could be a problem. Plus, the fact that all of them were tired except Sakura didn't help.

"Heh, it seems my reputation precedes me. Then why not just give up now? You must know how this will end." Gatou called out smugly.

"Bastard!" Naruto yelled, he was getting pissed off again. Kakashi berated him though,

"Calm down Naruto! Your anger won't solve anything. Keep calm and we'll do this." Naruto growled slightly, but nodded. Sasuke was getting prepared for the impending battle. He'd been carefully pulling out the senbon that were lodged in him and didn't look so prickly anymore, though some of the wounds were still bleeding a bit. Sakura, having not done anything, was also preparing, but she had to prepare mentally. She wasn't used to battles. She didn't know how much use her skills would be. Luckily, she need not worry too much, because at that moment, Kakashi told her,

"Sakura, stay back and protect Tazuna. Don't let any of them get close. We'll try to prevent them from getting close, but if any get past, you know what to do.

"Right." She said rather weakly.

Just then, an arrow flew from behind the ninja and landed near Gatou and his men.

"Don't worry guys!" He yelled out, "This is our village! We will protect it with our very lives!" The mob of villagers around him roared in assent. Gatou laughed loudly,

"Looks like the insects have come out to play! Go home or be squashed!" Just then a kunai flew out of nowhere and impaled itself in Gatou's throat. Naruto looked murderous,

"Shut up! You have no right to talk about these people like that!" He yelled out with his hand still extended. Kakashi was really surprised. He didn't think that any of his Genin had any desire or will to kill. Sasuke smirked, he finally approved of Naruto's actions. Sakura and Tazuna paled slightly. They hadn't expected Naruto to be like this. It was new to see him so angry. Kakashi finally asked,

"Naruto, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Naruto looked at him, and Kakashi could see the pain in his eyes.

"I've already seen a comrade die. I've seen good people turned astray. I've seen comrades betray each others trust. I've seen what scum like him can do. I've killed twice now. For the sake of the people and for the sake of my ideals, I am ready to kill again." Kakashi looked put out. This wasn't a lesson to learn so early on in a shinobi's career.

"That brat killed Gatou!" A few of the thugs yelled out, "Let's kill him! Yeah!" They all yelled in unison and started charging the ninja.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Naruto called out, creating seven clones. Each clone pulled out kunai, getting ready to fight. Kakashi sighed, he was low on chakra, but maybe…

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" He called out and created seven clones as well. They all took an offensive stance and got ready for battle. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and also prepared to fight. He knew he could kill. Death was nothing to him after the fall of the Uchiha clan. Sakura took up her normal stance, but looked really nervous. She wasn't confident in her ability to fight at all. The villagers all moved in to back them up. They were hoping that with sixteen ninja and all the town there, Gatou's men would give up. So far they weren't. It was time to fight!

(A/N Yes! A cliffhanger! I know, I'm evil. It was bound to happen though. Hope you enjoyed the chapter though! Until next time.)


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